The federal government appears to be amassing a smaller cyber arsenal than it appears, The Hill reports.

And that's apparently being done on purpose to keep the world's cyber infrastructure on its toes.

The revelation comes in new research conducted on "zero day" exploits — vulnerabilities in software that manufacturers are not necessarily aware of. "Zero days" sell on the gray market for tens of thousands to more than $1 million each.

The Hill says techies have assumed the United States has stockpiled a few hundred of the vulnerabilities. But Jason Healey, a senior researcher at Columbia University, told the website that number is closer to 50.

"I don't think this is just a surprise to the DEFCON [defense readiness condition] community, however, it was a surprise to me, and other policymakers as well," Healey told Politico.